JACK LAYTON was elected leader of the New Democratic Party of Canada in January 2003. Since then, party membership has been expanding at an unprecedented rate. First elected to Toronto City Council in 1982, he has been an impassioned social advocate for three decades. As president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, he worked to put a new deal for cities and towns on the federal agenda. In 1991, he founded the Green Catalyst Group Inc., a sustainable policy and program design firm. He founded the White Ribbon Campaign, which has grown into an international movement to stop violence against women; and he established the first Health City program, which has been adopted by the World Health Organization and cities worldwide.
Born and raised in Quebec, Jack Layton graduated from McGill University and received his doctorate in political science from York University. Currently, he is adjunct professor at Innis College, University of Toronto. His first book, Homelessness: The Making and Unmaking of a Crisis, is a highly acclaimed landmark study. Jack Layton lives in Toronto with his wife, Olivia Chow, a Toronto city councillor.